The University recognizes ten holidays each year. The following holidays will be considered paid time off for those employees eligible as outlined in this policy:

New Years Day Friday of Spring Break Memorial Day Independence Day

Thanksgiving Day Day after Thanksgiving Christmas Day Three Floating Holidays

The three floating holidays will be determined by the Administrative Staff. The Vice President for Finance and Administration will distribute a memorandum annually to each department indicating when the floating holidays and the holidays occurring on Saturday or Sunday will be observed by the University. Paid holidays are subject to the following:

Employees in a full-time, benefit status position and on the regular payroll are eligible for the paid holidays that occur during their normal work schedule. For example: An individual employed in a 9 ½ month position whose normal work schedule is mid August through May would not be eligible for the Independence Day paid holiday.

There is no waiting period for paid holidays. However, the first day of employment cannot be a paid holiday that employees are not scheduled to work.

Compensation for paid holidays will be based on normal hours per day (i.e., 7.50, 8.00).

To be eligible for the paid holiday, employees cannot have an unexcused absence the last scheduled day before the holiday or the first scheduled day following the holiday.

Employees who are scheduled to work but call in sick on the day before and/or the day after a designated holiday, may be required to present a doctor's statement of illness prior to authorization for payment of the holiday. Employees who have been requested to provide a doctor's statement and cannot or do not do so, will not be compensated for the holiday.

Employees who received prior authorization to use vacation or sick time during a period when a holiday occurs will receive the paid holiday and vacation or sick time accumulation will not be decreased for that day.

Two alternatives are available when it is necessary for an employee to work on a holiday recognized by the University.

Under the first alternative, employees will be paid at their overtime rate for that day and be granted another day off as a paid holiday. This day off will be scheduled at a time convenient for the employee and the department.

The second alternative allows employees to be paid at two and one-half times their regular rate of pay for that day.

The appropriate alternative will be determined by the department supervisor. The department that requires employees to work on a scheduled holiday must have an approved overtime account from which holiday overtime can be paid.

Employees will be compensated at their regular rate when they are required to work on an actual holiday that is observed by the University on a different day.

Employees in a full-time, 12-month, benefit status position are eligible for all paid holidays even though they might not be scheduled to work on the day the University observes the holiday. In the event employees are not scheduled to work on the holiday; they will take another day off during the pay period in which the holiday occurs. For example: An employee's normal work schedule is Sunday through Thursday. Independence Day is on Friday and the University recognizes the holiday on Friday; a day this employee is not scheduled to work. Since this employee is a full-time, benefit status employee, he is eligible for the Independence Day holiday and will observe the holiday on another scheduled workday during the pay period.

Employees who have a certified work-related injury are paid by the University's Worker's Compensation carrier at a rate equivalent to two-thirds their regular pay. Employees will be eligible for paid holidays recognized by the University only when they are supplementing the two-thirds Worker's Compensation benefit with their vacation, sick, personal, or compensatory time. When supplementing, the paid holiday will be equivalent of one-third of their normal hours per day. Employees who choose not to supplement the Worker's Compensation benefit, will not be on the University's regular payroll and therefore will be ineligible for the paid holiday.

Employees may use vacation time, personal time, compensatory time or time off without pay to observe religious holidays that are not listed in this policy.